Ducting systems are used in all sorts of processes, particularly in power plants, for transmitting fluids from one location, or piece of equipment, to another. If the fluids conducted by the conduit of the ducting system are sufficiently high temperature, certain materials and construction are unsuitable for use as the conduit in the application. In those cases, the conduit used must be dynamically rigid with respect to inertial loads, but flexible with respect to foundation movement and thermal expansion of the connected equipment and the conduit itself.
A problem occurs when high temperature fluids, requiring a dynamically rigid conduit, must be conducted between equipment that is not immobile, particularly if the movement of the various pieces of equipment is independent of each other. Processes, such as power generation, often require transport of energy in the form of hot and/or pressurized fluids from one piece of equipment to another. There is often relative movement between this equipment and expansion of the conduit because of the increased temperature. When the various pieces of equipment are located on two or more floating vessels, the problem of relative movement is further complicated by the motion of the vessels due to wind and wave forces and/or changes in the center of gravity of the vessel(s) due to plant operation and/or maintenance. Because the conduit must be dynamically rigid, the relative vessel motion must be controlled within acceptable and predictable limits to avoid imposing unacceptable forces and moments on the rigid conduit. The vessel coupling structure, the conduit and the support system for the conduit, therefore, must be capable of allowing some motion between the vessels while avoiding excessive stress from being applied to the conduit.